Whitnall referendum update: schematic design ~ $78.55 million; Edgerton pool and addition scheduled first

Whitnall School District board members received a detailed update on referendum-funded construction on Monday, including a schematic design budget of about $78.55 million — roughly $550,000 below the referendum authorization — and a timeline that puts construction procurement and a phased build beginning in 2026, district project staff said.

The update matters because the work covers multiple schools, involves a large portion of district capital funds and affects playgrounds, parking and daily operations during construction, project staff said. The presentation described site logistics meant to protect students during the school year and said the district will keep current pools and facilities usable until replacements are completed.

Project presenters from CG Schmidt and district staff summarized work now in design development, noted remaining schedule milestones and described how the referendum scope splits between major construction and soft costs. Ryan (project budget lead) said the schematic-design-level budget came in at approximately $78,550,000, which includes a $500,000 tariff contingency and is about $550,000 under the referendum total; the larger, published project total was shown at about $79.1 million, with roughly 80% of that amount identified as construction cost…